1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a machine for producing a cup made of composite material, namely from an outer shell and an inner cup, as well as a method for producing such a cup.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposable cups are currently indispensable and are mostly used for conveying liquid, paste-like or powdered substances from a production site or delivery point to the consumer and for enabling the latter to consume the contents of the cup. Production sites could include for example producers of yoghurt, ready meals and drinks. Delivery points are for example pubs, snack bars or cafes, which generally serve the cup contents without a lid or seal.
FIG. 1 shows a known cup 100 made of composite material consisting of an outer shell 101 in which an inner cup 102 is arranged. It can also be referred to as a combination packaging container, as preferably the inner cup 102 and the outer shell 101 formed from a blank or winding are made of different materials. Such cups 100 also have an open end and a closed end, wherein usually the cross sectional dimension at the open end is larger than at the closed end. The open end section also mostly has a flange-like edge strip, which can be joined, in particular sealed, by a sealing device. Also a wide range of different cross sectional shapes can be used which can also be designed to be different from one another.
In principle, there are several methods for producing this cup 100. One option is to wind the outer shell 101 around the finished inner cup 102. In this case the inner cup 102 is mostly mounted by a mandrel which performs the holding and support function during the winding process.
Another option is to produce the inner cup 102 and outer shell 101 separately and then push them inside one another. For this purpose the inner cup 102 generally comprises a beading in the base area which prevents the outer shell 101 from sliding off the mostly conical or cone-shaped inner cup 102, if the latter is not adhered or is only lightly adhered to the inner cup 102.
Another option is to produce the outer shell 101 first from the blank or winding and to place the latter into the cavity of the mold provided for shaping it prior to the production of the inner cup 102. The inner cup 102 is produced for economic reasons preferably in a deep-drawing process from a film-like material that can be deep-drawn.
The present invention relates to a production method in which a finished outer shell 101 and a finished inner cup 102 are pushed inside one another.
The inner cup 102 and the outer shell 101 are usually made of different materials. For example, the inner cup 102 is often made of plastic or a different material that can be deep-drawn and the outer shell 101 is often made of paper or cardboard. The latter can thus still be printed prior to assembly or prior to the formation of the outer shell from the winding or blank. It is also possible for example to make the inner cup 102 from foil-wrapped cardboard. Furthermore, the outer shell 101 can also be made of plastic, in particular foamed plastic. Furthermore, the outer shell 101 can be designed not only in the form of a sleeve, but can also have the shape of a cup. In this case two cups, namely an inner cup 102 and an outer cup forming the outer shell 101, are pushed inside one another. Lastly, it is also possible for the cup 100 to be made of three materials arranged inside one another, i.e. an inner cup 102 made of (smooth) plastic, an intermediate cup made of foamed plastic and an outer shell 101 made of paper.
The different materials of a cup usually perform different functions. For example, the inner cup 102 is designed to prevent the fluid contained therein from escaping, whilst the outer shell 101 is designed to be printed easily and also to provide thermal protection from the contents of the cup. Lastly, consideration of the environmental impact is also very important in a cup made of composite material.
The large numbers of disposable cups that are used daily require highly automated production methods or machines for producing the latter. Currently known methods or machines do meet existing requirements, but there is room for improvement, particularly with regard to meeting the future—in all probability increased—need for disposable cups or reducing the number of machines operating in parallel.